Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7
29:1 These are the words of the letter that the
prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles,
and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had
taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
29:4 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of
Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to
Babylon:
29:5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens
and eat what they produce.
29:6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take
wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear
sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease.
29:7 But seek the welfare of the city where I
have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its
welfare you will find your welfare.
Luke 17:11-19
17:11 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going
through the region between Samaria and Galilee.
17:12 As he entered a village, ten lepers
approached him. Keeping their distance,
17:13 they called out, saying, "Jesus,
Master, have mercy on us!"
17:14 When he saw them, he said to them, "Go
and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made
clean.
17:15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was
healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice.
17:16 He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and
thanked him. And he was a Samaritan.
17:17 Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made
clean? But the other nine, where are they?
17:18 Was none of them found to return and give
praise to God except this foreigner?"
17:19 Then he said to him, "Get up and go on
your way; your faith has made you well."
A Hostage Situation
O God, Let your word
be heard and taken from this place into the world whether it be through me or
despite me – Amen.
Many people from Judah are in exile
– held hostage in Babylon. But, there are still some people left in Judah. It’s
not a happy time – not for those in Babylon – not for those who are left in
Judah. For some reason, King Nebuchadnezzar,
the Babylonian king, allowed correspondence between those held hostage in
Babylon and those still at home in Judah. Maybe it was a “mocking gesture”… “Look
at what you can’t have.” “Read these letters from back home – you’ll never be
going back anyway!” Maybe it was a way of making sure that Babylon received
every last tribute payment to exploit the people of Judah – “Pay us, or else![1]
No matter the reason, this letter from Jeremiah telling God’s plan lets us know
that there was communication between the people left in Judah and the people
held in bondage in Babylon.
The letter from Jeremiah arrives.
It has to be good news! Jeremiah had
always wanted the best for the Chosen People. Yes, they had sinned…they had
turned to idols…they had forgotten God. Jeremiah reminded them of that, but
still, he wept because he wanted them to turn back to God and have all God
planned for them.
But this letter is anything BUT good news: In this
letter, God says - Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they
produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and
give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters;
multiply there, and do not decrease. AND,
if all of that isn’t bad enough - seek the welfare of the city where I
[God] have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its
welfare you will find your welfare.
Let’s
break that down into today’s language – raw, simple language: God is saying
through Jeremiah, “You’re hostages. You’re going keep being hostages. Make a
life where you are. And pray for the people who did this to you because your
wellbeing depends on their wellbeing.”
I doubt I’m the only one asking this question – What was God thinking?
OR Did Jeremiah just get it wrong? Is God saying that oppression is a good
thing? Doesn’t that go against God’s messages about oppression? What
about….oh…..God directing Moses leading Israel from the tyrant Egypt? What
about Jesus (who would come about 400 years later)[2],
being God in the flesh, who came to “proclaim release to the captives?”[3]
Is
God sanctioning oppression? Or, is God speaking to something deeper? The first thing an oppressor does is to
take away the identity of the oppressed.[4]
For example, when the Nazis came to power in pre-WWII Germany, one of the first
things Hitler did was institute a policy that coordinated and unified all of
Germany’s social, political, cultural, and religious institutions.[5]
On a less global, but still tragic example, look at what school
bullies use as their tactics of oppression. They try to take away the
identities of the other students they bully. Bullies use name-calling, cyber
bullying, physical intimidation, harassment, and even permanently damaging
mental and physical abuse. The bullies make their victims feel worthless and
even make them think they deserve the cruel punishment they dole out. At times the bullies even succeed at taking
away the identities of the ones they bully so much that the victim completely
identifies himself or herself as worthless and no longer as a person – a child
of God. But we all know this isn’t confined to schools – This happens in
workplaces, on our streets, and in abusive homes all around the world.
In
Psalm 137, we see Babylon doing this to the hostages. “Sing us songs of Zion,”
they said. The oppressors of Babylon weren’t curious about the Jewish culture,
they didn’t want to hear some music…they were trying to erase the identity of
the hostages by mocking their songs – songs being one of the last connections
to their homeland.
But
THIS letter from Jeremiah – God speaking through Jeremiah – was speaking
exactly to this point! “Do NOT let your identity be erased!”[6]
THIS is why the exiles were to build homes, plant gardens, and have families.
This generation would not be going home. Later in this letter, we find out that
they will not be going home for 70 years.[7]
Put bluntly, this generation’s grandchildren would be leading the way. The
grandchildren would have no connection to their homeland unless the current
generation keeps their identity alive. By keeping their community alive, they
are keeping their identity alive. By keeping their identity alive, they are
keeping their identity in God and their faith alive.
Babylon
is not just an oppressive kingdom in history. Babylon is alive and well today –
in a much more sinister form. Babylon dwells among us (here and now) in forces
we can’t see…at least not with invading armies, but Babylon is no less
real. Babylon is all that is evil
in the world.[8] What holds
us captive today? What tries to erase our identity?
On
an individual level, we each have our own Babylons. We each have sins and vices
that try to consume us and erase who we are – erase our identities in God. For
some of us it may be an addiction. For others it may be idolatry – putting something
ahead of God (IS IT: money, status, time, pride, etc.). Maybe some of us battle
with self-hatred and self-doubt. God tells us to be humble, but God DOES NOT
tell us to hate ourselves as created beings made in God’s image! Maybe someone
here is struggling with an illness: physical or mental health and that illness
is so out of control that you feel it’s starting to define you. Maybe financial
issues are your Babylon. Is your Babylon grief? Some people may tell you, “get
over it,” but you can’t – and it’s affecting who you are, or how you identify
yourself. Obviously, I can’t name every struggle every person here could be
facing – I just can’t think of every possible scenario. First of all, realize
this – Just as God didn’t abandon those in exile in Babylon during Jeremiah’s
time, God hasn’t abandoned you. Because the Bible is God’s living word, the
letter in Jeremiah 29 applies to us too in a similar, yet different way than it
did to those in exile in Babylon in that day. Build a house and plant a garden.
Make a home where you are. Resist the
power that is oppressing you by staring it in the face and go by the faith we
know to be true! I’ll talk more about this in a few moments.
We
know that Babylon is real in our society! Just open your eyes. See the pain on
peoples’ faces as that pain begins to become their identity. See how oppression
has truly made some people victims and tries to erase their identities. Take
off the rose colored glasses that we all want to wear and see that life just
isn’t that pretty all the time. We don’t have to leave town to see this. Stop
playing the blame game that feeds Babylon and for a moment put yourself into
another person’s shoes. We can say things are their fault, and sometimes bad
choices and sin do lead people into a bad place, but how did they get to the
place that they made those bad/sinful choices? Was it a false promise from
someone else – from seeing an example of what looked like “success?” Did the
person make a decision in a desperate time of sickness or desperation? Maybe
the person was facing mental health difficulties and couldn’t make a rational
choice? Was the person fleeing abuse and had to do what it took to get out
without thinking of the consequences? Maybe the person really made a bad choice
for no reason? Maybe the person made a sinful choice? Have any of us in here not made bad or sinful choices? Raise
your hand if you are free from sin…Raise your hand if your sin should define
your entire life…So, should sin or God define the identities of who all of us
are? People sin – sin has consequences – but we have a redeemer, and no one is
out of reach for our redeemer. BUT, this redemption is not a magic formula to
prosperity and riches.
I
said I’d talk about how we can resist Babylon. I said we should stare our
Babylon straight in the face and go by the faith we know is true. We are all called
to build houses, plant gardens, have families, and pray for the city – our Babylon
– in the midst of whatever plagues us. We live in a corrupt city/town, in a
corrupt state, in a corrupt nation(all of them are corrupt, I’m not picking on any
1 place in particular), in a corrupt world. We live in Babylon. We are
hostages. But we are to pray for this corrupt Babylon’s welfare because it’s
welfare is our welfare. Instead of complaining – Pray! But, at the same time,
don’t live a life that conforms to the world but one that conforms to God. Resist
Babylon’s evil ways by making your part of Babylon home – Change its atmosphere.
Plant a garden there. Have a family there. Pray for all of Babylon…We are all
in it together. Support each other – those in this fellowship and those outside
these walls.
We
also live in an interesting time. Christ has overcome the world – meaning Babylon.
But Christ hasn’t redeemed all things yet. Often, people say we live between the “already” and the “not
yet.” Christ has “already” won, but he has “not yet” completed full redemption.
Total redemption will happen in Christ’s 2nd Coming.
Babylon’s
welfare is our welfare until Christ comes back in final victory and washes all
of creation clean as he did the 10 lepers. Has Christ begun washing you clean? For
Christ to wash you clean, all you have to ask him. Have you let Christ into
your life to begin his Kingdom work to undo the evils that Babylon has done to
you? If not, ask him into your life in prayer. Talk to me or someone else you
trust! If Christ is in your life and has been for a while, will you let him
deeper into your life to wash away the hidden parts so that you move closer to
perfection in your relationship with him everyday? Will you let Christ wash you
so clean that he makes you more Holy? Will you be like the ONE healed leper who
thanks Jesus for letting your faith make you well? Will you be a witness
against Babylon? Will you let your identity be in God and not in Babylon?
Lord God – We
dwell in a strange space. We live in a strange time. We know you are God and we
put our trust in you. Move in our lives and the lives of all people so that our
identity comes from you and not from the evils of this world…this Babylon. We
pray for the healing of those who do not know you. Use us as you will to
further your Reign. We pray this and all things in the name of God the Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
[1] R.E. Clements, Interpretation: Jeremiah (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1988), 171.
[2] Miller, Commentary on Jeremiah, The New Interpreters Bible: A Commentary in
Twelve Volumes, 791.
[3] Luke 4:18
NASB
[4] Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., “Faith
in a Foreign Land,” Words from the Pulpit,
(Summer 2007), 242.
[5] Kurt K. Hendel, “The Historical Context
of the Barmen Declaration,” Currents in
Theology and Mission, 36:2 (April 2009), 133.
[6] David Goodblatt, Elements of Ancient Jewish Nationalism (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006),
19-26; quoted in Martha Himmelfarb, “Judaism in Antiquity: Ethno-Religion or
National Identity,” The Jewish Quarterly
Review, Winter 2009, 68.
[7] Jeremiah
1:10
[8] Continuing
theme for the entire book: William
Stringfellow, An Ethic for Christians and
Other Aliens in a Strange Land (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2004).
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